


Fantasies

by nereidee (aurasama)



Category: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Hand Jobs, Hook-Up, M/M, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Suomi AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 22:54:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15828600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurasama/pseuds/nereidee
Summary: Daniel's miserable weekend on a student cruise takes a turn for the better when he runs into Alexander, a handsome elderly business man, who is less than thrilled to be on a luxury cruiser with drunk students. Modern AU, crack.





	Fantasies

In retrospect, Daniel thought, he couldn't understand why on earth he'd let himself be convinced that a student cruise in the dead of winter would be anything but a bad idea.  
  
If he were to be perfectly honest with himself, well, it wasn't exactly his own fault that he was there. The guys from university had all put up such a show to convince him it would be mankind's greatest journey since the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb that he had, despite initial hesitation, given in. Now, several months later, when he found himself on M/S Mariella with hundreds of other people, he realised he should have trusted his gut feeling and bailed out; it was four hours after leaving port and Daniel knew he had found the lowest circle of hell.  
  
“No, really, I don't want to buy _anything_ , thank you very much,” he told a very insistent Russian man who seemed adamant to sell him drugs. The man opened his mouth to argue, for the fifteenth time it seemed, and Daniel elbowed himself away from him, disappearing into the staircase and scaling the stairs two steps at a time. Clearly, this was not England, and English manners would only get him into more trouble.  
  
He caught his breath as he reached the next deck. It took him a while to catch his bearings. There were so many people around that walking at a normal pace was impossible. Finally, he caught the sight of a familiar sign.  
  
_Oh, this is the shopping deck,_ he thought, passing by the tax free store. He had no wish to drop in there any more – the experience had been bad enough on the first time. Everyone seemed to have gotten the same idea as he had, to do their shopping as soon as the doors opened, and it had been a struggle to avoid slamming headfirst into shelves as the ship rocked and people around him were pushing in every direction.  
  
After spending an entire semester in Finland already the cruise had come as something of a delayed culture shock. He had gotten used to the local culture by now and had been under the presumption that these people were, on the whole, withdrawn but kindly, and often very quiet. He rather appreciated such things – it was peace and quiet he'd come looking for when he'd decided to do his Bachelor's degree this far away from home.  
  
_Peace and quiet, my arse,_ he thought. This was as far away from peace and quiet as possible.  
  
He had been to student parties before and gone drinking with his friends from the university, but never in his entire life had he seen this many drunk people in one enclosed space or realised that they could be this loud. Surely his ears would soon fall off if he didn't find a quieter place.  
  
He walked further, taking the stairs until he reached the top floor and came face to face with the door to the sun deck. It was pitch dark outside. The darkness of winter hadn't yet abated though they were in February and there was little to see out there apart from the endless rafts of ice wafting past them or the occasional flash of light in the distance, signalling another ship passing by. For a moment Daniel considered going back to the cabin but he guessed Philip and the others wouldn't be back this early. He sighed and stepped out into the biting wind, anything to get away from the noise.  
  
It was an impressive vessel, he admitted that much. The inner decks were lavishly decorated and the dining hall had been out of this world. He'd never imagined such a luxurious buffet, and it had made him feel slightly less resentful towards the whole ordeal. One of the guys from the faculty of history had told him this vessel and the cruiser ships that navigated the tourist routes in the Caribbean were all manufactured and assembled in the same Finnish port town, and Daniel could see that. Had it been summer he could have enjoyed this – at least then he could have sat on the deck with a coctail in his hand, basking in the sun.  
  
He found a sheltered place to stand in, wondering where the hell his friends had disappeared to after dinner. They'd exited the buffet together but it had been so crowded in the stairs that Daniel had gotten separated from the flock while trying to manouevre his way downstairs. He pulled out his phone, considering texting them, and cursed under his breath.  
  
“Are you kidding me?” he groaned, staring at the screen. There was no reception whatsoever. He stowed the thing back in his pocket, fuming. _Of course there's no reception,_ he thought gloomily, _we're in the middle of the damned Baltic sea._  
  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and said something in Finnish. It sounded like a question and Daniel looked up, finding a tall older man looking at him. Daniel blinked.  
  
“I– I'm sorry, I don't speak Finnish—“  
  
The man looked taken aback, his brows quirking up.  
  
“Oh, my apologies,” he said in slightly accented English. He held up a cigarette. “Would you happen to have a lighter?”  
  
“What? Oh. Yes. Yes, I do,” Daniel stammered, momentarily stunned. He rummaged his pockets until he found the lighter. The man shielded the flame from the wind as Daniel tried to light his cigarette, succeeding after a couple tries.  
  
“Thank you, young man,” the man said politely. He looked about as out of place as Daniel felt; a thin, tall man in the advanced years, still considerably handsome for his age. He wore a spotless black suit, his hair white and reaching just above his shoulders, most unusual for someone his age. He looked like he belonged behind a gleaming desk in the headquarters of some international conglomerate and not on a cruiser filled with drunk students. Daniel could only stare at him, not entirely convinced the man wasn't just a figment of his imagination.  
  
The man returned his gaze, smiling through a cloud of smoke. “Quite unexpected to run into another foreigner at this time of the year,” he said. “Are you a student?”  
  
“Yes, sir,” Daniel said nervously.  
  
“Ah,” he breathed. He brought the cigarette to his lips again and inhaled. “I thought you couldn't be a tourist, not in the middle of winter.”  
  
“No, I'm studying in the university of Helsinki. We're on a cruise with my year course.”  
  
“A bit late in the season for that, isn't it?” The man flashed him a lopsided grin. “The prime season tends to be in October or November.”  
  
“I wouldn't know, sir,” Daniel admitted, risking a smile of his own in return. “It's my first year, see.”  
  
“Why aren't you indoors, drinking with your friends? Or are you too young to drink?”  
  
“Sir, I'm twenty-two—”  
  
The door to the stairs slammed open and a gaggle of girls in red overalls stormed past them, yelling and singing loudly as they went. Daniel watched them with a pained expression on his face, wondering if it would be too early to turn in for the night. The man let out a long-suffering sigh.  
  
“What luck that we managed to arrange the company cruise on the same weekend as you students,” he muttered and Daniel turned back towards him.  
  
“This isn't really my thing, either,” Daniel grimaced, shrugging. “It sounded excellent on paper, but well...”  
  
The man considered him, a curious look in his eyes. “What are you doing here, then? There is very little of interest here apart from shopping and drinking yourself senseless.”  
  
“Beats me. Peer pressure, I guess.”  
  
The man laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that made Daniel's toes curl. “So what's your story? Did you come up here to escape?”  
  
“Sort of,” Daniel said. “I got separated from my friends and needed a moment to gather my thoughts. It gets too noisy in there.”  
  
The man looked him up and down, eyes falling on the pullover he was wearing. “You are going to catch your death without a jacket.”  
  
“I know, sir. I was just considering if I should just retire to my cabin for the night. It's a choice between that and throwing myself over the railing – whichever gives me an earlier exit out of this madhouse.”  
  
That made the man laugh again. He tossed the still-smoking cigarette butt into an ash tray. “How about joining me for a drink instead of going for a swim? I seldom run into other expatriots like this and I wouldn't mind the company.”  
  
Daniel hesitated. Alcohol sounded like an excellent plan, but he didn't even know this man. “What about your colleagues, sir?”  
  
The man waved it off. “I think I've had enough of discussing business for tonight. Besides,” he said with a scowl. “You can hardly concentrate in this atmosphere.”  
  
Daniel couldn't resist grinning at that and the man winked at him.  
  
“Well, my phone has no signal so I'm not gonna find my friends for a while,” the young man said slowly, considering the situation. _What the hell,_ he thought, _I might as well get something to drink. I'm supposed to be having fun here._ “Yeah, let's go. I think I could do with a drink.”  
  
The man smiled, extending his hand. Daniel took it and they shook hands.  
  
“The name's Alexander von Brennenburg,” said the elder. His grip was firm and warm, and Daniel could tell immediately that this was a man who was used to making good first impressions. “Just call me Alexander.”  
  
“I'm Daniel. Nice to meet you, Alexander.”  
  
“Likewise, Daniel. Shall we go in? There was a nice bar a few decks below, if I recall correctly.”  
  
Daniel followed him back indoors. Alexander held out the door for him, an entirely unnecessary gesture with people walking through the doorway constantly so it never had a chance to close properly, but the brunette nodded in thanks anyway. They passed by a gaggle of middle-aged Swedes in the stairs, all of whom had apparently decided that it was an excellent place for discussing what they'd bought from the tax free shop. They were taking up almost the entire width of the stairs and Daniel let Alexander take the lead when they squeezed past them.

Now that they were in a well-lit area he noticed that the older man's hair was strikingly white, almost platinum, and more than that, his hair wasn't showing any sign of thinning despite his age. Daniel thought back on his father and how touchy he was about his receding hairline. Perhaps Alexander simply took better care of himself, hair and all. God knows that his father had never been particularly health conscious.  
  
Daniel gave Alexander a quick one-over while attempting to keep up with him. The older man _did_ in fact look like he took care of himself. He may not have been that lean or built but he was broad-shouldered and he held himself in a way that made him look much taller than he truly was. Despite his slim waist there was nothing frail or weary about him; his posture was impeccable, much better than that of much younger men.  
  
“This way,” Alexander called over his shoulder. Daniel shook himself mentally. They were only going to have a drink and make some friendly conversation, that's all. This was hardly the time to start oggling at a man this much his senior as though he'd offered something inappropriate.  
  
The bar was pretty full but there were still empty tables here and there. In the far corner Daniel could see what appeared to be an empty stage. _Come to think of it, I think it said something about live music on the flyer I got,_ he thought.  
  
Alexander had made a beeline for the bar counter, past a group of teenagers in student overalls who were examining the coctail menu. Daniel followed suit, pulling out the wallet from his pocket.  
  
He heard Alexander place his order and the barman nodded, replying with something that Daniel didn't quite catch.  
  
“You speak Finnish?” Daniel asked the elder curiously.  
  
“Of course. I've lived in Finland for quite a while already.”  
  
The barman poured him a glass of whiskey, sliding it towards Alexander. Daniel took out his IDs as the barman turned to greet him. “Evening. I'll just have a Budweiser, thank you.”  
  
“Thank you,” the barman replied, looking over his IDs quickly. “Just a moment.”  
  
When they'd both paid for their drinks they made their way towards an empty table at the back of the bar. Despite the general tumult and the music it wasn't overwhelmingly loud and the dim lighting made the place look rather cozy. Daniel sat down, eyeing his companion with great interest. He'd only met other foreign students so far and the prospect of getting to know someone who'd spent a longer time in the north sounded rather thrilling all of a sudden.  
  
“So, how long _have_ you lived in Finland for?” he asked as soon as Alexander had sat down.  
  
“Fifteen years, give or take a few months,” the other man answered with a shrug. “Moved from Germany when my company expanded and opened a new office in Helsinki.”  
  
_German, huh?_ Daniel thought. _That explains the accent._  
  
“I haven't learned much Finnish yet,” Daniel admitted. “I'm taking a language course a couple of times a week but it's slow going. Everybody keeps telling me how difficult the language is and it's not exactly motivating.”  
  
Alexander smiled. “Don't let it intimidate you, Daniel. With enough use and exposure one can learn any language.”  
  
“Yeah, my professors keep telling me the same thing. I have some other languages in my curriculum, too, and well, I guess it just gets confusing, taking several language courses at once.”  
  
“What are you studying, if I may ask? Linguistics? Literature?”  
  
Daniel took a sip of his beer before answering. “Actually, I'm a history major,” he said. “So I'm taking some courses in Latin, ancient Greek… Stuff like that.”  
  
Alexander quirked an eyebrow, looking interested. “As it happens, history is one of my personal fields of interest as well. War history for the most part, but also ancient history.”  
  
Daniel crossed his arms on the table, leaning instinctively forwards. Finally, someone who wanted to discuss something else than student loans or how to survive an entire semester on instant noodles and canned tuna.  
  
“Ancient history is my favorite,” he said earnestly. “Especially that of Africa and the Middle-East. As a boy I used to dream about exploring the pyramids in Egypt. Discovering lost relics, navigating past traps inside tombs, you know – all that Indiana Jones stuff.” He grinned sheepishly. “That's where I got the interest in history, actually, ancient Egypt. Guess that's pretty childish.”  
  
“Not at all, not at all. It's impressive how advanced their understanding in the field of medicine was, considering the limitations of the time.” Alexander lifted his glass and drank slowly. His Adam's apple was very prominent, Daniel noticed, and he didn't wrench his gaze away from it immediately. ”Have you ever visited Egypt? The Valley of the Kings is impressive, even from a tourist's point of view.”  
  
“I haven't but it's definitely on my bucket list.”  
  
“I highly recommend it. I've visited Cairo for business many times and I always ensure that I have a few days for independent travel in my schedule.”  
  
Talking to Alexander was so _easy_ , Daniel realised, almost as easy as talking to any of his old friends. The conversation between them flowed effortlessly, as if they'd known each other for years already, and even better, Alexander seemed totally unbothered by the occasional silences. He had a low, rumbling voice and his laughter had the sort of contagious quality to it that Daniel often found himself laughing with him.  
  
Daniel emptied his glass, setting it back on the table. The music was playing louder now, making the glasses on the table vibrate, and several people were dancing near the stage. Alexander glanced towards them and leaned back on his seat.  
  
“I thought there was supposed to be a live band here tonight or something,” Daniel said. The other man shook his head.  
  
“No, that's tomorrow, on the way back. They're just playing hits from the past few decades tonight.”  
  
“Ah.” Daniel stared at his empty glass. He was starting to feel quite warm and comfortable, not to mention thirsty. “I'll go get another drink. You want anything?”  
  
“No, thank you,” Alexander said, smiling at him. It made the creases around his eyes deepen and Daniel felt strangely wrong-footed as he got up and made for the counter again.  
  
The party got steadily louder and rowdier as more people made their way to the dance floor. Neither of them minded much; Alexander had flipped out his phone and was showing Daniel pictures of his latest trip to Egypt from it. Daniel tried not to lean too close; the older man smiled at him too much and too openly, baring a row of perfect white teeth each time, and Daniel could have sworn his heart beat a little faster each time their eyes met.  
  
It was hard not to enjoy his company, though. He was knowledgeable and quick-witted and seemed to sincerely enjoy their banter. Daniel chattered excitably about each monument in his photos, having read about most of them before, and the other man seemed pleased about his genuine interest.  
  
“This was from the last day of the trip,” Alexander said, swiping to another picture. “We took a guided tour this time. A friend of mine from the university in Cairo had recommended a German speaking guide he knows, it was quite fascinating...”  
  
Daniel suppressed the urge to whistle. It was a rather impressive shot of Alexander standing in front of the pyramid of Kheops in a white suit and sunglasses. Alexander swiped again. The next shot was almost identical to the previous one, apart from the close-up of a grinning man with a graying beard whose head blocked Alexander's lower half from view. Daniel snorted before he managed to catch himself.  
  
“And that,” Alexander said tersely, brows knitting together. “ _That_ would be our division manager Weyer, who is thankfully back in Frankfurt now.”  
  
“That guy's a manager? And here I was thinking that you well-to-dos were just a bunch of serious men in suits.”  
  
Alexander bit into his lower lip, clearly fighting to keep a straight face. Daniel could see a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
  
“I've told him he's childish, but it's like talking to a wall.” He stressed the word 'childish' while glancing meaningfully at Daniel, who suddenly became very interested in the ceiling lamps. Alexander swiped to another photo and actually smiled this time. “Oh, yes, that's him being escorted by the Egyptian police, he tried to take something as a souvenir from the tomb...”  
  
Daniel drank his beer slowly, which turned out to be a wise decision. The story of how Alexander had flat out refused to collect Weyer from the police station or to pay his fine, resulting in him missing his flight and all of his luggage somehow getting transported to Abu Dhabi, had Daniel chortling the whole time, and he was certain he would have choked on his drink.  
  
With the photos finished Alexander got himself another drink. The queue at the counter was longer this time and Daniel played with his own phone absent-mindedly while waiting for him to return.  
  
It was half past eleven already. There was still no signal and thus no messages or calls from his friends, either. He wondered where they were right now. He hadn't seen any of them at the bar, so he assumed they were either drinking in their cabins or wasting time and money at the onboard casino.  
  
_Well, I'm in no hurry,_ Daniel mused, stowing his phone back in his pocket. _We're not even getting to Stockholm until 10 a.m. local time tomorrow._  
  
Alexander returned after a while, holding a pint of beer this time.  
  
“Have you heard back from your friends yet?”  
  
Daniel shook his head. “Nope. There's just no reception here. If they've tried to text me I'm not gonna know until we're in Sweden.”  
  
“The ferry's stopping at Mariehamn on the way. You might have a signal when we get there.”  
  
“When's that?”  
  
“Oh, around 4 a.m., if I recall correctly.”  
  
Daniel laughed. “I think I'll be better off just heading back to my cabin rather than waiting for my friends to get a hold of me first or this is gonna turn into an all-nighter. That is, unless you're offering to keep me company until the breakfast buffet opens.”  
  
He had meant it as a joke, but Alexander smiled at him in a way that turned his legs into jelly.  
  
“I wouldn't mind. It isn't often that one gets to enjoy such pleasurable company,” the elder replied. He looked Daniel straight in the eye and took a sip of his pint without breaking the eye contact. The Englishman smiled back nervously and swallowed.  
  
_Calm down, Daniel,_ he told himself sternly, which did not help him feel any calmer whatsoever. _He's not flirting with you. He's just being friendly. For all you know he's probably got a wife somewhere.  
  
_ He stole a glance at Alexander's hands but he wasn't wearing any rings and the ringfinger of his left hand had no depression from wearing a ring, either. Daniel swallowed again. The man had lovely hands. His fingers were long and thin, each joint clearly visible. The veins on the backs of his hands were rather prominent, as were his knuckles, and Daniel had the sudden urge to take his hand again just to feel if his grip was still as strong as he remembered.  
  
He busied himself with his drink, decidedly looking everywhere else but Alexander. From the corner of his eye he saw the older man lean back and loosen his tie one-handedly, apparently oblivious to how far in the gutter his companion's thoughts had strayed.  
  
But by God, he was attractive. There was no denying that. Daniel tried hard not to envision Alexander's hands on his waist, pushing down his pants, or his rumbling voice whispering filthy things in his ear while he fucked him from behind…  
  
Daniel crossed his legs as discreetly as possible, taking another swig of his drink. Perhaps he ought to excuse himself on the pretext of going to the bathroom and just head back to the cabin… But then he remembered that he was sharing his cabin with three other guys and that there would be no privacy to speak of if they were back already. The way this was going told him he wouldn't be able to fall asleep without jerking off while picturing Alexander's hands all over him.  
  
_Well, now I definitely won't be able to,_ Daniel groaned inwardly. Drinking might have been a bad idea – it just seemed to provide more fuel for his dirty thoughts.  
  
He had to be perfectly honest with himself, though: he just didn't want to leave yet and call it a night. He glanced shiftily at Alexander, who had conjured a newspaper from one of the empty tables around them and started reading. It was Alexander who had asked _him_ to join him for a drink, wasn't it? The idea of ditching him just like that… well, it just didn't feel right. That, and the fleeting mental image of him trailing hot kisses down his neckline was rather enjoyable. Daniel coughed, trying to swallow his beer too quickly.  
  
Alexander looked up from his newspaper. “You're drinking too fast,” he said, taking in the younger man's flushed visage. “Slow down a bit.”  
  
“Y-yeah,” Daniel stammered. He was about to wipe his mouth on his sleeve but caught himself on the last second and reached for a napkin instead.  
  
_Thank God he can't read my thoughts._ Daniel paused. He remembered being awkwardly afraid of telepaths actually existing when he'd been younger and having panicked a few times on the tube when considering the hypothetical possibility of someone hearing his thoughts. Alexander was still looking at him. _If it turns out he's a mind-reader, I'll tell Wilson and Philip to just tie me to a rocket and shoot me into space._  
  
Alexander turned back to the newspaper again, muttering to himself. He had pulled a pen from his pocket at some point.  
  
“Eight letters, starts with 'sy', a term in linguistics… Oh, yes. Of course.” He filled in the missing letters, and Daniel realised he was solving the crossword.  
  
“Is that in Finnish?” Daniel asked.  
  
“Yes. Crosswords are an excellent way to expand your vocabulary in a foreign language, by the way. Give it a try when you're a little further in your studies.” Alexander folded the newspaper and tossed it on an empty chair.  
  
“Is that how you learned Finnish? Crosswords?”  
  
“Partially,” the elder shrugged. “I had to become familiar with business-related vocabulary quickly, so I took out a newspaper subscription and did the daily crossword every day for two years.”  
  
“ _Every_ day?”  
  
“With a dictionary in hand, mind you.” Alexander took in his mortified expression and smirked. “Don't look so scared. You don't need to push yourself quite that hard if you're only learning casually.”  
  
“Why did you need to learn Finnish in the first place? I mean,” he rushed to say, not wanting to sound rude. “Based on what I've heard from other foreign students, you can get by in English just fine.”  
  
“You're not entirely wrong,” Alexander agreed. “But making business connections is always easier if you take the time to learn the local language. English is fine if you're on a holiday or studying but when one moves with every intention of staying, it would be plain disrespectful not to make an effort to learn the language.”  
  
Daniel instinctively glanced at the older man's left hand again and he knew that Alexander noticed this time. “Don't you have family in Germany? I mean… have you never wanted to go back so you could live closer to them?”  
  
Alexander lifted his hand, looking at his empty ringfinger thoughtfully. “Had my wife still lived when the decision about expanding to the north came, I probably would have wanted to move back eventually. I am a widower,” he explained, seeing Daniel's startled expression. “We had no children and my parents passed away rather early on, so there was nothing keeping me in Germany. Quite honestly I was happy to have an excuse to get out of the country – it's easier to overcome grief in a different environment.”  
  
“I'm very sorry about your loss,” Daniel said and he meant it.  
  
“You are very kind but there is no need to feel sorry for me. Losses are a part of life and I've come to terms with mine.” Alexander sighed, sipping his beer again. He was quiet for a while. “So, how about you, Daniel?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“You have a girlfriend waiting for you back in England? You must have, a handsome lad like you—”

Daniel blushed up to his hairline, shaking his head vigorously.  
  
“A boyfriend, then?”  
  
He swallowed and managed a smile. “Uh, no girlfriend, unfortunately. Or a b-boyfriend.” Had Alexander just called him 'handsome'? His heart was beating rather fast now, making him feel uncomfortably out of breath. “If I had someone waiting for me back at home, I guess I might've been more reluctant about studying abroad.”  
  
It looked like Alexander wanted to say something more but just then the music changed. The first notes of the song were met with enthusiastic yells from the audience and more people rushed to fill the empty spots on the dance floor.  
  
“My, I guess this is a popular tune,” Daniel laughed, trying to cover up for his awkwardness. He didn't understand the lyrics but he couldn't resist nodding along to the rhytmn – it was catchy, he had to admit that much.  
  
Alexander looked amused for some reason. “You don't know what they're singing, do you?”  
  
“No,” Daniel said nonchalantly. Alexander's smile widened. “All right, what's so funny about it? It's just a pop song, plus everyone seems to be really into it...”  
  
He was right; many people on the dance floor were singing along to the lyrics, a fast-paced rap with a soft-voiced female singer doing the vocals for the refrain.  
  
“The song's name is a pun,” Alexander said, voice practically dripping with glee. “Following the recession there has been much political discussion about fixing the country's economy, among other things. The title of the song is, loosely translated, 'let's put Finland back together'.”  
  
“I don't get it.”  
  
“In this context, the verb 'to put' also means 'to fuck'.”  
  
Daniel nearly spat out his drink. He could feel beer trickling down his chin and this time he did wipe it on his sleeve. He had a hunch he'd be happier without knowing more, but he couldn't stop himself from asking. “So... what exactly _are_ they singing about?”  
  
Alexander looked him dead in the eye and translated for him, in explicit detail.  
  
When he was finished, Daniel was blushing harder than before. His face felt so warm that he wouldn't have been surprised if he was radiating heat on a five-mile radius.  
  
“That's so crude,” he sputtered. He was trying very hard not to look at the dancers – now that he knew the lyrics all those previously innocent-looking moves had become blatantly sexual. “They seriously play this on the radio, uncensored? In _this_ country?”  
  
The whole song was extremely raunchy and he might have found it funny if it had been one of his roommates translating the lyrics instead of his current drinking companion. He'd just heard the words 'you'll sleep better when you've been fucked' from Alexander's mouth and while it had by no means been the dirtiest sentence in the lyrics, it had definitely sent his imagination running into places best left unexplored.  
  
“Oh, they do,” the other man replied. He drained the last of his beer. “It caused quite a bit of fuss when it came out, as I'm sure you can imagine.”  
  
“Oh, really?” Daniel retorted sarcastically. “I can't imagine why.”  
  
Alexander leaned back, looking more serious all of a sudden. He seemed to be considering something. “Now that we are on the subject, have you been following the local political banter since you moved? What's your opinion – how _should_ we go about putting this country back together? Personally, I believe in direct methods. Overcomplicating matters seldom yields any satisfactory results.”  
  
Daniel blinked. That had definitely come from the left field.  
  
“Well... I have to say that I'm not too learned in politics, but—” He caught Alexander's eye and stopped abruptly. The elder was grinning again, smile reaching all the way to his eyes, and what was worse, now it was he who was nodding along to the music. Daniel flushed even worse, realising the man was just teasing him. “Oh, that's in bad taste!”  
  
Alexander laughed. Daniel fought to keep a straight face but he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching. He couldn't believe he'd fallen for it.  
  
“Forgive me, Daniel. You are entirely too much fun to tease.”  
  
“You're an awful person, _sir,_ ” Daniel accused, but he had a hunch it didn't come off very convincing when he was now grinning back at Alexander.  
  
“There is no need to call me 'sir',” he said. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, a most curious expression on his face. “Unless that's something you're into, of course.”  
  
Daniel felt his mouth go dry and he licked his lips, an altogether different kind of nervousness welling inside him now. His thoughts may have been all the way in the gutter but he knew it was no longer just his imagination – that right there, that hadn't been just casual friendly banter. Alexander's tone of voice was still the same as before, light and conversational, but the atmosphere felt electrified suddenly.  
  
When their eyes met neither of them said anything for a moment and Alexander swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing up and down again. He was gazing at the younger man intently, as though trying to decide something.  
  
_Make a move, Daniel,_ the Englishman told himself, hands suddenly shaking. _Just say something before the moment's gone._ Before he got that far the music changed again, this time to a fast-paced dance song that Daniel recognised. He was fully expecting the crowd to respond enthusiastically and sure enough, the noise levels in the bar reached a whole new peak, and he could feel the floor vibrating from the force of so many people dancing simultaneously.  
  
“It's getting too rowdy in here,” Alexander said loudly over the noise. He glanced briefly at the dancing crowd, frowning.  
  
“Yeah,” Daniel shouted back. He saw Alexander's mouth move again, the tone of his voice indicating he was asking something, but Daniel couldn't hear him over the music. “What was that?”  
  
Alexander beckoned for him to get closer and Daniel leaned forwards as much as the table allowed.  
  
“I said, do you want to join me for a drink in my suite? It's too loud to talk here any more.”  
  
The Englishman gaped at him mutely, his stomach full of butterflies. Alexander's face was inches from his and hell, he would have been lying if he'd claimed he didn't want to say yes. This close Alexander had a pair of perfect bedroom eyes, heavy-lidded and intense, and Daniel heard himself answer without a hint of hesitation.  
  
“Yeah, I'd love to,” slipped from his treacherous mouth. Alexander's eyes practically glowed with satisfaction.  
  
“Then let's go. It's on deck 6.”  
  
Daniel tried not to stumble as he got up. His legs felt like jelly. Not from the alcohol, no, he hadn't had enough to drink yet to feel more than a light buzz, but Alexander's suggestion had refueled his imagination in ways that made him giddy with anticipation. The voice of reason in his head tried to remind him that he didn't even know this man, that he should be more cautious and stop letting his libido make all the decisions, but Daniel was far beyond caring at this point. He was single and horny and stuck on a stupid ferry with hundreds of drunk people in the middle of a frozen sea and damn if he wasn't going to make the most of it.  
  
He followed Alexander down a flight of stairs. All the people they passed by were headed upstairs – deck 6 was solely dedicated to the more expensive cabins and the tax free shop, which had already closed for the night, and they were able to walk side by side effortlessly.  
  
“I didn't even know they had suites on these ferries,” Daniel admitted as they reached the cabin area.  
  
“Oh, they do. Might as well be comfortable if you have to travel.”  
  
“The cabins we booked are below the engine deck,” he continued, scowling. “The noise is unbelievable. I can't understand how anyone's supposed to be able to sleep through that.”  
  
Alexander clapped his shoulder sympathetically. “I think that's where alcohol comes to the picture. Why do you suppose people drink so heavily on these cruises?”  
  
Daniel snorted. “Sadly enough, that _does_ make sense.”  
  
The suites were at the very end of the cabin area. Alexander flipped out his keycard, unlocking the door and holding it open to the younger man.  
  
“Here we are. After you, Daniel.”  
  
Daniel stepped inside, flicked the light switch and felt his jaw drop. It looked more like an apartment than a cabin – it was bigger than his student flat and divided into two separate rooms. He looked around, privately deciding he'd never book a budget cabin after this if he could help it. There was a spacious fridge, a large L-shaped couch that probably seated three or four people, and best of all, several large windows.  
  
He kicked off his shoes hastily, barely aware of Alexander closing the door after them, and hurried to a window, pulling the curtains apart. It was dark out but he could just make out the bow of the ship, large rafts of ice floating past on both sides.  
  
He turned to smirk at Alexander. “I feel like I should be re-enacting that scene from Titanic right now. You know,” he said, spreading his arms vaguely, ”king of the world and such.”  
  
“I thought you wanted to be Indiana Jones, not Jack,” Alexander replied, smiling in return.  
  
“Can't a man have two dreams?” Daniel asked. “Perhaps I sometimes want to sketch beautiful ladies on the sun deck between robbing graves and discovering ancient temples.”  
  
“You're probably not going find that many ladies sunbathing in February.”  
  
“You never know. It could be good practice in case we hit an iceberg – get used to the cold.”  
  
Alexander shook his head but Daniel could see that he was grinning. He took off his jacket and tossed it on an armchair. “Would the king of the world want something to drink, perchance?”  
  
“I thought you weren't allowed to drink in the cabins,” he pointed out.  
  
Alexander caught his eye and winked conspiratorially. “If you won't tell anyone, I won't tell, either.”  
  
“My lips are sealed.” Daniel threw himself on the couch, pointing at the fridge. “So, what do you recommend? Wine of the house?”  
  
The other man opened the fridge and started pulling out bottles in different colours and sizes, presenting each of them as though a sommelier would wines. “Let's see. There's brandy, Scottish whiskey, some dry apple cider...” He pulled out a fancy-looking bottle and scrutinised it with a sceptical frown. “A bottle of red wine from a country I've never heard of before, no idea what it tastes like. For all I know it could be poisoned – the salesman at the tax free was extremely secretive about it.”  
  
“You should never accept drinks from tall, handsome strangers on dark alleyways,” Daniel teased. “Didn't your mother tell you that?”  
  
Alexander's voice was practically dripping with humour when he answered. “And what do you know about tall, handsome strangers?”  
  
“A thing or two. There's one offering me a drink right now.”  
  
The words had escaped his mouth before he'd had the chance to stop himself. Daniel felt heat rising to his face as he realised what he'd just said but Alexander just smiled wider.  
  
“Smooth,” he complimented. “There's also Guinness and some Bacardi Breezers. Would you like to be the first to try the definitely non-lethal mystery wine, or do you feel like something safer?”  
  
“I'm gonna play it safe, thank you very much.” Alexander gave theatrical sigh, putting the wine away. Daniel scratched at his chin, considering. “Give me a Breezer. I feel like something fizzy for a change.”  
  
Alexander handed him a bottle before turning back to the fridge. “Here you go. The bottle opener's on the table somewhere.”  
  
_Okay, he's probably not a serial killer, at least,_ Daniel decided while uncorking his drink. _And h_ _e's letting me open my own drinks so he's likely not gonna drug me.  
  
_ Even the voice of reason in his head couldn't think of a counter argument to that, or perhaps he had just finally drowned it out for good.  
  
_Could still turn out to be a creep looking for some sort of a sugar daddy arrangement, though. Or maybe he's_ _a ganster_ _._ He paused. He wasn't entirely sure if either of those scenarios would even bother him at this point. Realistically speaking, he didn't really have anything more important going on, anyway. _He can count me in on anything if it turns out he's willing to pay off my student loan.  
  
_ Alexander joined him on the couch. He was close enough for them to make eye contact comfortably while chatting, but far enough so that their legs weren't touching.  
  
“Thinking about downing the whole bottle?” Daniel asked jokingly when the other man uncorked the bottle of whiskey and took a sip directly from the bottle.  
  
“Who knows. The night is still young.”  
  
Daniel took a long draught from his own drink, eyeing Alexander at the same time. He noticed the younger man staring and quirked an eyebrow inquiringly.  
  
“Something on your mind?”  
  
“I'm trying to decide whether you're a gangster or an undercover agent, that's all.”  
  
“I'm working for the Russian mafia, actually. We will be collected as soon as we make port – I have an offer you cannot refuse,” he said very solemnly, and Daniel laughed.  
  
“Damn. I was hoping you'd turn out to be James Bond.”  
  
“Is that your type? Secret agents?”  
  
“Maybe. Or maybe I just like guys who look good in suits.” His tone of voice was innocent enough, but he was sure Alexander had caught the hint – Daniel saw his mouth curling into a flattered smile, likely about to say something witty in response. Before he managed to say anything, however, Daniel had leaned in and kissed him clumsily.  
  
It lasted only a few seconds but somehow, he still managed to feel oddly breathless when he pulled away. Perhaps it was the trepidation, not knowing how the other man would react, that made him hold his breath instinctively. Alexander was staring at him, lips parted in surprise. Before Daniel had the time to start panicking that he'd misunderstood something along the line, however, the older man was kissing him back, his free hand coming to rest on Daniel's thigh.  
  
He'd kissed girls and he'd kissed boys, but it was the first time he was being kissed by someone who showed no sign of hesitation or shyness whatsoever. All of his make-outs thus far had been with people around his own age and had ranged from awkward to sloppy, probably thanks to either lack of experience or the simple teenage urge to just get laid as fast as possible. Alexander kissed him confidently and without urgency, lips moving against his with surprising gentleness. He didn't seem to be in any rush to take this further; his hand simply rested on Daniel's thigh, squeezing lightly, instead of trying to get him out of his pants.  
  
“Hang on,” Alexander muttered. He returned the bottle of whiskey back on the table and Daniel realised he'd been tipping the Breezer in his hand, bringing it dangerously close to spilling on the couch. He copied Alexander, hastily putting the drink away.  
  
They looked at each other for a second; Alexander's face looked more flushed than before and Daniel had the sudden desire to tangle his fingers in his hair and make a mess of it. Then, before he could do more than lick his lips, Alexander had scooted towards him, cupping his face with his hands and kissing him again. Daniel heeded his desire and allowed his hands make their way into the other man's hair, tugging lightly. Alexander's hands were everywhere – behind his neck, on his shoulders, running down his sides, thighs, as though he couldn't wait to explore as much of him as possible. Daniel could feel the heat radiating from his hands even through his jeans and he found his previous fantasies suddenly rekindled. The older man's grip was sturdy and confident and the mental images of what Daniel wanted him to do with those hands had him moaning into their kiss.  
  
Alexander chuckled softly, pressing a kiss on his cheek this time. “Easy, tiger,” he murmured, though he sounded almost as out of breath as Daniel was. “Let's just take this slow.”  
  
A part of him wanted to agree with that; another part was feeling steadily more and more uncomfortable in his jeans. Those conflicting feelings must have shown on his face, for Alexander laughed again, a very knowing smirk playing on his lips. “Patience. Just let me get more comfortable first.”  
  
He got up and settled himself at the very corner of the couch, one leg dangling over the edge, leaning against the back rest in a most relaxed manner. He patted his lap expectantly, still smiling, and the younger man felt his face growing warmer. With shaky legs Daniel walked up to him and, pretending to feel more confident than he was, seated himself on the older man's lap. He draped an arm around Alexander's shoulders, bringing himself face to face with the man.  
  
“Better?” he asked, grinning back at him.  
  
“Absolutely,” Alexander answered. One of his arms curled around Daniel's waist. “Now, where were we?”  
  
They kissed again and this time Alexander's tongue slipped into his mouth, drawing a surprised noise from the brunette. No one had ever kissed him like this before, this hungrily, with such unashamed need that it was enough to turn his bones into water. There was a newfound urgency to Alexander's touches, lips seeking his fervently, fingers raking through his hair and catching onto tangles as they went. Teeth pinched his bottom lip more than once, not hard enough to damage the flesh, and to Daniel's surprise the feeling was more pleasurable than painful. He thought he could have climaxed to the sound of Alexander letting out small moans of desire between their kisses alone; if he was this vocal already, Daniel couldn't wait to find out what he'd be like underneath him, pinned to the mattress.  
  
A shudder of anticipation rocked him as he felt the elder's hand tugging at his belt. “May I?” Alexander breathed, his breath hot against the Englishman's ear.  
  
“Please,” was all that Daniel managed, nodding. Alexander's face was flushed, his hair no longer as pristine as it had been before, and Daniel could read the same desire he felt on the other man's face. Alexander made a quick work of his belt, tugging it out entirely and casting it on the floor unceremoniously. Daniel's breath hitched as the elder unzipped his jeans and pushed his hand inside them, fondling his half-hardened cock through his underwear.  
  
“Getting hard already? I've hardly even touched you yet,” Alexander teased, his smile revealing a flash of teeth.  
  
“I could say the same about you,” Daniel retorted breathlessly. He could feel the elder's own erection pressing against his thigh. Alexander's smile widened, nothing short of feral now. He withdrew his hand briefly, tugging at the waistband of Daniel's jeans instead.  
  
“Lift your hips a little,” Alexander told him. Daniel obliged and together they managed to pull his jeans and boxers down to his thighs. He groaned quietly as Alexander's fingers curled around his member and started to stroke him slowly, still not breaking the eye contact.  
  
Daniel felt his head lolling back, eyes slipping closed. Alexander's firm, determined grip felt so _good_ – he was attentive to the younger man's every moan and movement, seeming to easily locate where to touch to make him groan just _so_ or how to stroke him to make him buck up against his hand instinctively.  
  
“God, you're lovely,” Alexander murmured into his ear, pressing a searing kiss on his neck. “I wanted you as soon as I saw you up on the deck.”  
  
Daniel moaned involuntarily, turning his head to the side just enough to look at the other man again. He had to bite his lip to keep from whimpering again as his thumb teased the slit of his cock just then.  
  
“I wanted you, too,” he admitted. “Couldn't keep myself from fantasising about all the things I wanted you to do to me...“  
  
“And what did you fantasise about?”  
  
Daniel's lips curled into a wicked smile as he thought back on all the dirty thoughts he'd had about the man back at the bar. “You biting my neck and whispering all kinds of filthy things in my ear, fucking me hard from behind—” It was Alexander's turn to moan as he imagined it, and Daniel felt his grip slip just for a split second. “You kneeling on the floor in front of me, my cock in your mouth, sucking me o—“  
  
Alexander cut him off, claiming his lips with bruising force. The kiss was much rougher than the previous ones and when they broke off Alexander was breathing heavily, his eyes glazed over with lust.  
  
“I think all that can be arranged,” he panted, tightening his grip around the Englishman's organ. Daniel bucked up against his hand again, lifting his hips higher, and a second later there was a loud _thud_ of something hitting the floor. They both froze and glanced at one another slowly.  
  
“Shit, my phone,” Daniel mumbled, realising what the sound must have been. He looked over the edge of the couch and sure enough, his cell phone had slipped out of his pocket and fallen on the carpet.  
  
“Did it break?”  
  
“Doesn't look like it. Hang on...”  
  
Embarrassed, Daniel pulled up his pants just enough to allow him some mobility. He picked up the phone, placing it on the table.  
  
“Perhaps we should move to the bedroom,” Alexander suggested. “The couch isn't the most comfortable place for this.”  
  
“Yeah, you're right...”  
  
Daniel wished there had been a less awkward way to do this. The fact that he had to pull up his boxers and jeans again just to take them off a moment later felt ridiculous, but Alexander was right – the couch would get uncomfortable if they wanted to take this further.  
  
Alexander looked much less composed now, his hair tousled and shirt covered in wrinkles, and Daniel pulled him into another kiss as soon as he'd stood up. With shaky hands he untied the elder's necktie, pulling it loose and moving on to unbuttoning his shirt next.  
  
“Impatient, aren't we?” Alexander murmured between kisses.

They slowly made their way across the room, bumping into furniture as they went but Daniel barely noticed it. Suddenly he backed against something and nearly lost his balance but Alexander grabbed him before he had the chance to fall. A quick glance over his shoulder told him he'd collided with the bed.  
  
Alexander kissed him again, hard. Daniel abandoned his quest to get the elder out of his shirt and let his hand stray further down, fondling his bulge through his pants. He let out a very satisfying moan at that, reflexively gringing against his hand. Daniel unbuckled his belt and pulled down the zipper, slipping his hand into the elder's pants. Alexander's breath was hot against his ear while he stroked him through his underwear.  
  
“Daniel,” the elder gasped.  
  
“You're getting so hard just from this,” the Englishman whispered, throwing Alexander's own words back at him. The sound of his breathless voice was enough to make Daniel's mouth water; the idea that he could reduce such a collected man into this hot, moaning mess was beyond his wildest dreams.  
  
Alexander's hands slipped beneath his sweater, pushing it up, and Daniel lifted his arms up, allowing him to pull the sweater over his head. Daniel did the same with the top he'd been wearing underneath and tossed it out of sight.  
  
Alexander's eyes raked over his naked upper body, lips curling into an appreciative smile. Daniel felt himself flush when the elder ran a hand across his chest and to his belly, very deliberately pausing to appreciate each bump and curve of his muscles. He wasn't perhaps quite as built as he himself would have liked, but he was slight enough that what little muscle he _did_ have showed easily.  
  
“What a sight you make,” Alexander said, hands landing on the younger man's hips and pushing down his trousers again. “Let me see the rest of you.”  
  
He didn't need to be told twice. With Alexander's assistance he stepped out of his jeans, kicking them aside. Alexander brought their lips together again, the kiss soon turning into a breathless mess, and they mushed their noses together accidentally more than once; Daniel could tell the both of them were just as impatient to go further. The elder made to push down his boxers but Daniel swatted his hands away, flashing him a crooked smile. He sat down on the bed, eyeing Alexander up and down.  
  
“Who's impatient now?” he teased. He took off his socks and cast them aside. “Come on, this is hardly fair. You haven't even taken your shirt off yet.”  
  
Alexander returned his smile and without breaking the eye contact began undressing. He seemed to be enjoying the attention whole-heartedly and took his time shedding his garments, dawdling very deliberately until it borderlined on teasing. Daniel smacked his lips impatiently as the elder hooked a thumb beneath the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down torturously slowly, watching out for the younger man's every reaction.  
  
“I take it you like what you see?” Alexander asked as the brunette let out a small, involuntary moan. His smirk widened as Daniel pushed down his own boxers, still looking the older man straight in the eye, and began stroking himself slowly, taking care to moan audibly with each movement.  
  
“You should be able to tell already that I do,” Daniel said, none too subtly drinking in the sight of his body. He bit into his bottom lip as he stared at the other man's cock; God almighty, the man was gorgeous in every single way. “Are you gonna give me some of that or do I have to finish the job myself?”  
  
Alexander laughed. He closed the distance between them and leaned down to kiss the younger man's brow.  
  
“Just a while longer, tiger. Do you have protection?”  
  
Daniel's hand stilled. He hadn't paused to think about that at all. “Oh. I, uh...”  
  
“Not to worry, I have some. Wait a moment.”

He went to the suitcase standing in one corner of the room and rummaged a pocket for a while. A moment later he returned, tossing a bottle of lube and some condoms on the bed. Daniel watched, hypnotised, as he knelt on the floor right in front of him and unwrapped a condom package.  
  
“Alexander?” He sounded a lot more breathless than he really was. The sight of the older man in front of him like this brought back his previous fantasies quite vividly, and the thought made his mouth run dry.  
  
As if reading his mind the elder said, “it went something like this, right? That fantasy of yours?” He returned Daniel's gaze, a very knowing smile on his face. “Would you like to recreate that?”  
  
“Yes,” the brunette whispered. “Hell yes.”  
  
Alexander took his cock and slowly wrapped the condom around it. Daniel had to bite his lip again to keep from moaning out loud; just watching him do this was thrilling, the anticipation about to drive him insane. Alexander stroked him a couple of times, carefully, watching for his reaction.  
  
“Comfortable? Is it a good fit?”  
  
“Yeah,” he managed. He couldn't quite keep himself from grinding against his hand.  
  
Alexander gave him one last stroke, dragging his thumb over the slit of his cock. “May I?”  
  
There was hardly any need to ask for permission at this point, Daniel thought, but the elder seemed to enjoy the look of desperation on Daniel's face too much to pass on the opportunity to tease him a little further.  
  
“Please.”  
  
He shifted closer until his head was between Daniel's legs. The brunette's breath hitched as Alexander slowly ran his tongue up the shaft of his cock, forefinger and thumb wrapped around the very base, before taking him in his mouth. Daniel groaned, only barely keeping himself from pushing into his mouth.  
  
It was obvious that Alexander knew what he was doing; he took him slowly, adjusting to his girth before taking any more of him in his mouth. Daniel inhaled sharply as his mouth tightened around him, sucking hard before relenting again. Alexander pulled back so far that he almost let him slip out of his mouth, lips only just curled around the tip of his cock, before taking him back in all the way, cock pressing up against the roof of his mouth. Daniel reached out a hand and pushed his fingers in the man's hair, needing something, anything to hold on to. He could feel himself blush again as Alexander looked up at him, staring him dead in the eye while his head bobbed up and down, mouth stretched around his cock. Daniel felt heat gathering at the pit of his stomach at the sight, and he thought it was almost a pity he'd told Alexander to undress before this – the idea of coming on his spotless suit was so delicious that he moaned again.  
  
His head lolled back, eyes slipping closed. The heat of Alexander's breath between his legs was deliriously good and Daniel thoroughly enjoyed the sharp intakes of breath he made as he tried to breathe, mouth full of cock. Once or twice Daniel thought he briefly felt teeth but it was gone before it had the chance to hurt, and Alexander's mouth was so tight around him that Daniel found himself instinctively rolling his hips, almost thrusting into his mouth. Alexander let out a noise of surprise but didn't pull away, apparently quite unfazed.  
  
“Oh, fuck,” Daniel groaned as Alexander swallowed, and this time the brunette did buck up against him as his mouth tightened around his cock. The elder pulled back again, sucking hard at the tip before letting him slip back in, taking him so deep that he almost touched the back of his throat. He swallowed again and Daniel's fingers reflexively tightened in his hair, pulling his head further down. Alexander let him; muffled moans and gasps escaped him as he let the brunette fuck his mouth.  
  
Daniel knew he wouldn't last long at this rate and he only barely managed a breathless, “stop.” With a wet sound Alexander pulled back, letting him slip out of his mouth. Daniel met his gaze, finding the elder just as flushed as he was. His hair was a tangled mess, his lips quite swollen now, and the brunette decided that it was a very attractive look on him.  
  
“Are you all right?” Alexander asked. He pressed a small kiss on the underside of his thigh, drawing a shudder from him.  
  
“Yeah,” Daniel gasped. “Just... getting too close. I don't want to come just yet.”  
  
The older man chuckled, eyes twinkling. “You _are_ allowed to tell me that I'm good at this, you know.”  
  
“Oh, trust me, you are very good at this.”  
  
Alexander got to his feet. He cupped Daniel's face between his hands and kissed him. Daniel placed his hands on the elder's waist and let them slide down, squeezing his ass just hard enough to draw a soft groan from him.  
  
“What would you like to do next?” Alexander asked. “I'm all ears.”  
  
Daniel licked his lips, flashing a nervous grin at the other man. He could think of a hundred different things he wanted from Alexander right now, but there was one thing in particular that his thoughts kept coming back to. “You know, the other half of my fantasy's still unfulfilled,” he said, the words coming out in a rush. “If you're… if you're comfortable with that, that is.”  
  
“Are _you_ comfortable with it?” Alexander countered. “I'm not saying no, I just want you to know that it's not something that we have to do – most queer men never—“  
  
“I know,” Daniel cut across him. It was a struggle to maintain eye contact. “It's just… I've fantasised about it and wanted to try it with someone, you know, experienced. Someone who knows what he's doing and, uh, none of my previous partners have really been up for it, so, yeah.”  
  
Why did he have to start tripping over his words right now?  
  
Alexander kissed him again, tongue slipping inside the younger man's mouth. He was smiling when they broke away. “We'll take it slow, all right? If you start feeling uncomfortable or change your mind at any point, we'll stop.”  
  
“All right,” Daniel breathed. He was certain that he must be blushing up to his hairline now; having Alexander between his legs was one thing but nothing so far had as effectively turned them to water as hearing those words. On top of being virtually perfect in every other way, the man _had_ to be a complete gentleman in the sheets, too.  
  
_One could get used to being spoiled,_ Daniel thought, and let the elder push him down on the bed. He had the perfect vantage point to watch as Alexander worked himself up to full hardness again and wrapped a condom around his cock, and God, did he make a show of it, too. He grabbed the bottle of lube and poured a generous amount on his hand, slathering it over his fingers, all the while smiling at him. Daniel spread his legs and the elder knelt between them once more.  
  
“You paint a pretty picture down there.”  
  
“I could say the same about you,” Alexander replied. The brunette inhaled sharply as a finger circled around his opening, teasing the pucker, before very slowly pushing in. It took all of his self-control not to push against the intrusion; whatever remained of his patience was steadily leaving him, the only coherent thought in his brain to be fucked by this man already. Daniel bit his lip and let his eyes slip closed, focusing only on the feeling of Alexander pushing the digit deeper before pulling almost all the way out, only to press it back in again, deeper each time.  
  
When the elder added a second digit there was nothing Daniel could do to stop the moan that escaped his mouth, or to keep him from pushing against his fingers to drive them deeper. The wait was maddening. He needed and needed, faster, deeper; needed _more_ and now, goddammit. He heard Alexander chuckle, “eager, aren't we? Are you sure this is your first time?”  
  
“I've practiced with toys,” he managed, another wanton moan falling from his lips; Alexander had chosen that exact moment to scissor his fingers, spreading him further. “Oh, fuck, that's good, don't stop—”  
  
He wasn't even trying to hold back his moans any more. The slick, wet sound of Alexander's fingers sliding in and out of his hole was enough to make his toes curl and he threw back his head when a third finger joined the other two, the stretch so full and good that he was sure he was forgetting how to breathe. By God, Alexander was going to ruin him; there was just no going back to any toys known to man after having him knuckle-deep inside him.  
  
“I'm gonna lose my mind if you make me wait any longer,” Daniel groaned out loud, very deliberately clenching around his fingers. The older man slammed his fingers back in again, drawing a needy sob from the brunette.  
  
“You greedy little hellcat,” Alexander said. He sounded much less composed than before, his voice practically just a growl now. He pulled out his fingers only to drive them back in again, as deep they would go, and the brunette jolted. “Tell me, what should I do with you?”  
  
“Oh, God—“  
  
“Tell me, Daniel. I want to hear you say it.”  
  
Daniel's eyes flew open. His lips curled into a devilish grin as his eyes met Alexander's; his visage had reddened considerably, his mouth slightly open as he breathed. _Oh, I'm going to be the end of you,_ he thought and tightened around his fingers once more just to enjoy the noise that left the elder.  
  
“Come on and fuck me already,” he breathed, staring Alexander right in the eye. The other man heeded him at last and pulled out his fingers. He pressed another kiss on the brunette's inner tight before getting up and reaching for the lube again.  
  
“How did that fantasy of yours go again?” Alexander drawled, pouring more lube on his palm. He slicked himself slowly and Daniel knew it was on purpose – anything to luxuriate on the desperate look on his face, no doubt. The sound of his lube-slicked fingers pumping his already fully hardened cock was obscenely loud and Daniel wanted to burn it in his memory. “You, on all fours on the bed—“  
  
Daniel got up slowly and wet his lips. It sounded irresistible coming from the elder, the mental image coming back to him again.  
  
“You, whispering filthy things in my ear, fucking me hard from behind.” He turned around, settling on his hands and knees much like he'd envisioned back at the bar. He glanced quickly at Alexander over his shoulder and spread his legs as much as he comfortably could.  
  
“That can be arranged,” the elder answered. The mattress dipped and Alexander's hands roamed down his sides slowly as though in caress and Daniel felt a shiver run up his spine from the anticipation. The few seconds it took for Alexander's hands to dip lower and squeeze his ass one more time could very well have been an eternity, and then he was already pushing in and Daniel forgot how to think entirely.  
  
He was only vaguely aware of Alexander bending down to whisper in his ear, “breathe”, or of the hot kisses he was leaving all over his upper back as he pushed further in. All Daniel could think of was Alexander's cock slowly sliding inside him and pushing all air out of his lungs, and he wondered if he couldn't have come just from how deliriously, unbelievably full he felt. The thought made him clench around Alexander and the elder gasped, his hands trembling as they gripped his waist.  
  
“God, Daniel, you feel amazing—“  
  
“Hurry the fuck up,” Daniel groaned, trembling from the sheer effort of holding still. He had no patience left any more, not after all the work Alexander had put into teasing him, so when the elder finally obliged, thrusting into him for the first time, all Daniel could do was spread his legs further, taking him as deep as he would go. He heard Alexander's breath hitch as he clenched around the man's cock again and when the elder thrust into him again, harder, Daniel muffled a sob against his arm. It was so much better than he'd imagined, so much better than his toys, and he made no effort to hide it, either.  
  
Alexander's breath was hot against his neck as he filled him over and over again, and the strangled quality of his voice that whispered its filth in his ear was exactly as Daniel had envisioned; harsh, breathless, and nowhere near as composed as before.  
  
“You tight little minx, you— That's, oh—“ Daniel bucked up against him just then and Alexander's voice took a more guttural edge, his nails digging into the brunette's skin tighter than before. He pulled back just enough to almost slip out of him before ramming his cock right back in, drawing a rattling moan from Daniel. “You like that, don't you? You like it when I fuck you like this?”  
  
“Alexander, please—“  
  
“Please what?” The elder rolled his hips, drawing another choked noise from Daniel when he didn't answer. “Please what, Daniel? I want to hear you.”  
  
“Please,” the Englishman gasped. “God, please, more, I—“  
  
The rest of his words were cut off; Alexander thrust against him again once, twice, slowly and deliberately, with such force that it almost made his knees buckle. “That's a good boy,” the elder complimented. “You only had to ask.”  
  
Daniel's fingers dug into the sheets as he lifted his hips to meet the elder's every movement, the slick sound of Alexander's cock sliding in and out of his stretched hole so obscenely loud that it made his toes curl and his face flush. He could feel that he was getting close, there was no way he was going to last long like this.  
  
Alexander slowed his pace just enough to run his hand down Daniel's thigh before taking his cock in his hand. The brunette moaned again as Alexander's grip around him tightened.  
  
“I can feel how tight you're clenching around me,” Alexander murmured, the low rumble of his voice sending another shudder of pleasure up Daniel's spine. “Do you want me to touch your cock?”  
  
“God, fuck, I—“  
  
“ _Say it, Daniel._ ”  
  
“I– fucking hell, yes,” Daniel managed. “Yes. _Please._ ”  
  
This time, at least, he did not have to beg; Alexander's hand was firm around his cock as he stroked him to the rhythm of his thrusts, quickening his pace as Daniel's moans reached a new pitch. It all blurred together into erratic movement and noise and Daniel's legs shook underneath him when he came. All that escaped his mouth was a hoarse, strangled cry, but Alexander wasn't much more collected, either; the words rolling off his tongue were a quiet, disconnected ramble, interrupted by his sharp intakes of breath, and his fingers dug into Daniel's backside with bruising force as he climaxed.  
  
Daniel felt the elder's grip on him grow lax and he slumped head first on the bed, completely boneless. It was only some ten seconds later that he felt the mattress bounce again and he guessed that Alexander had thrown himself on the bed next to him, for a warm hand stroked his arm gently.  
  
“Daniel?”  
  
Daniel forced himself to turn over on his side, facing Alexander. “Holy _fuck._ ”  
  
The elder laughed. Daniel was quite satisfied to find his face red and glistening with sweat. “Well, I wouldn't go quite that far.” He reached out and brushed damp hair off the Englishman's face. “Are you all right? I hope I didn't go too far with what I said—“  
  
The brunette smiled. The words had made something tighten in his chest again. “You didn't. That was perfect.”  
  
_You're perfect,_ he corrected himself in his head, but he didn't get the words out.  
  
Alexander returned his smile and leaned down to kiss full on the lips once more. “I did assume as much from the sounds you were making,” he admitted as they broke away, and his eyes were very warm when they found Daniel's. “Any more fantasies in that head of yours that you'd like to voice?”  
  
“I'm good, thanks,” the Englishman said, laughing. It turned almost immediately into coughing; he suddenly realised that his mouth was bone-dry. “I'd love to finish my drink, though – if I can just remember how to use my legs.”  
  
Alexander laughed.  


* * *

  
There was scarcely an hour until they were scheduled to arrive in Stockholm when Daniel skulked towards the breakfast buffet on deck 7. He felt half-dead on his feet and had the hunch it showed, too; the dark circles around his eyes would have rivalled a raccoon's and he'd showered (with Alexander for company) before turning in without letting his hair dry properly and it was standing up despite his most valiant attempts to tame it.  
  
_Not that there had been too many hours left for sleep by the time I dozed off,_ Daniel thought drowsily and stifled another yawn.  
  
The fact that they'd stayed up for a couple more drinks afterwards hadn't done anything about the morning after awkwardness, though, and Daniel had gathered his things hastily and slipped out before Alexander had woken up. To his relief there had been no one in their cabin on deck 2 and he'd had the chance to change into clean clothes and brush his teeth in peace.  
  
Daniel stopped briefly at the front desk to show his keycard to the worker there before heading for the queue. He barely registered what, or how much, he was shovelling on his plate; the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon seemed to have awoken his appetite all of a sudden. A part of him wished the guys would have already eaten and left, letting them miraculously miss one another, but his wish went unheard. As soon as he picked up his tray to look for an empty table he heard a familiar voice yell, “there he is! Hey, Dan! Over here!”  
  
He looked around and found Philip waving at him a few tables down. What looked like half of their year were seated around him. With a sigh Daniel made his way towards them and set his tray on the only remaining empty place, feeling every single pair of eyes in the vicinity boring into him with most keen interest.  
  
“Well, well, look who it is,” Philip said as soon as he sat down. “You ever check your phone, mate? Must've sent you a million texts last night.”  
  
“I had no signal,” Daniel said with a grimace.  
  
“There's onboard wi-fi, you dimwitted idiot.”  
  
“There is?” he asked around a mouthful of eggs. Philip sighed, shaking his head incredulously. It was only then that Daniel noticed the crumpled form of their flatmate next to him, even paler than usual and with the hood of his hoodie pulled as far down as it would go. “What's up, Wilson? You okay?”  
  
His only answer was a groan like that of a dying man. Philip shot him an exasperated look.  
  
“Genius here tried to down that bottle of absinthe he bought from the tax free all by his lonesome,” the blonde said in a bored voice. “You can guess the rest.”  
  
“And you guys let him?” Daniel asked, eyebrows raised.  
  
“Well, it _was_ pretty funny at first.”  
  
“I'm surprised he's not dead.”  
  
“So are you gonna tell us where you've been?”  
  
“Nothing much to tell,” Daniel shrugged, feigning innocense. “Got lost in the crowd after we left the buffet, decided to find the bar and have a drink while waiting to see if you guys would show up.”  
  
“Sure you did,” Philip said, disbelief etched into his every feature. He leaned in and hooked a finger under the collar of Daniel's polo shirt. Daniel slapped his hand away but not before everyone at the table had already gotten a good look at his neck. “Nice hickeys, man. Busy night?”  
  
Daniel felt his face colouring as everyone else laughed. “Piss off. So I found company, big deal.”  
  
“You'd better apologise to Simon later, he was anxious that you'd somehow fallen off and drowned,” Philip interrupted and stole a strip of bacon from his plate. “Prepare for a flood of missed calls when we make port.”  
  
Daniel only half-listened to the conversation as he ate, too sleepy to really concentrate. The morning buffet was at least as impressive as the dinner and he got up more than once to fetch seconds of everything, filling his tray with breakfast flakes and bread buns, expensive cheeses and fried sausages and, in true Nordic fashion, a variety of fresh berries to mix with porridge.  
  
_I wonder if Alexander and his colleagues are eating_ _in_ _the same buffet,_ he wondered. _I didn't think to ask, come to think of it.  
  
_ The thought made him feel vaguely… something. He wasn't really sure what. It seemed unlikely that the suits would wine and dine in the same dining hall as all the common travellers but Daniel let himself entertain the thought of having asked Alexander to join him for breakfast. The two of them would have sat by a window, making casual morning after conversation punctuated by occasional yawns, perhaps, the elder poking fun at all the nicks on his jaw left by his hasty morning shave.  
  
And maybe, _maybe_ if he'd asked nicely, he could have returned to spend another night in Alexander's suite. The thought filled his stomach with butterflies instantly and his steps were slightly uneven as he made his way towards the table that served coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Daniel laid down the tray with more force than necessary, making its contents rattle.  
  
_I'm an idiot,_ he thought, _I didn't even think to ask for his number._ With shaking hands he managed to pour himself a cup of tea and grabbed a handful of sugar packets before returning to his so-called friends.  
  
“The buffet's closing in 15 minutes so hurry up and eat,” Philip told him as he sat down.  
  
Daniel didn't answer. He dumped three or four sugar cubes in his tea and stirred so furiously that some of his tea spilled out of the cup.  
  
Philip stared. “Everything okay?”  
  
“I'm a bloody moron.”  
  
“Yeah, I already know that. What brought this up?”  
  
“I can't believe I didn't ask for his number,” Daniel burst out. “Or, or give him mine, whichever! Why didn't I ask for his number—“  
  
His rambling came to an abrupt end when Wilson straightened, looked at Philip and said, “I told you he was with a dude. You owe me five euros.”  
  
Philip sighed. “Fair enough.”  
  
“What the effing hell,” Daniel said.  
  
“Oh, I bet five euros that you'd found some chick last night. Wilson bet that it was a guy.”  
  
“You two are the worst friends I've ever had.”  
  
Philip pulled a wrinkly five euro bill from his wallet and dropped it on Wilson's outstretched hand. “Speak for yourself, loverboy. You just cost me five euros.”  
  
Daniel opened his mouth to argue but whatever he'd been about to say was cut off by an announcement and they all fell silent. After giving the announcement first in Finnish and Swedish the cool female voice switched to English and declared, “ladies and gentlemen, we are arriving to Stockholm in ten minutes...”  
  
“Looks like it's snowing,” Philip noted. Daniel felt the phone in his pocket vibrate, followed immediately by a series of loud _b_ _lings_. “And that'll be all the messages and calls you missed last night.”  
  
Daniel pulled out his phone case, flipped it open and scowled. 15 missed calls, most of them from Simon, and a stack of increasingly irritable messages from Philip on WhatsApp. Wilson had sent him a single multimedia message, which contained nothing but a blurry photo of a half-empty bottle of absinthe. Daniel sighed and turned off the screen, about to stow the phone back in his pocket, when his eyes caught something white peeking out from the card holder, squeezed right between his bus pass and bank card. His heart skipped a beat when he pulled it out.  
  
It was a business card.  
  
Alexander's name had been printed there in thick, bold letters. _'Call me once you're back in Helsinki',_ had been written across the card. Below the message stood a handwritten phone number, different from the official one printed on the card. Daniel's face split into a grin.  
  
“Score.”  
  
“What?” Philip said. Daniel handed him the business card and watched with great amusement as the blonde's expression shifted into one of stunned disbelief. “Brennenburg, Ltd. Did you bang some business tycoon or something?”  
  
Daniel's grin widened and he snatched the card back. “Something like that.”  
  
Alexander _wanted_ to see him again. The thought alone was enough to make his head reel.  
  
“You better give that guy a call,” Philip said, correctly interpreting the look on his face. “Or else I'll do it myself.”  
  
“Don't worry, I'll call him.”  
  
He wouldn't miss it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the most self-indulgent thing I've ever written and I refuse to apologise for my sense of humour or the ridiculous amount of popular culture references. I love modern AUs and expat stories, okay? Okay.
> 
> Notes: M/S Mariella is a real cruiser and yes, she sails the route Helsinki-Mariehamn-Stockholm several times a week. Yes, student cruises are a thing (and I've been on several and they're 100% awful). Imagine being on a cruiser with 2500 other drunk people and you get the picture. The song that Alexander translates for Daniel is a dreadfully raunchy song by Petri Nygård called 'Pannaan Suomi kuntoon' and yes, you can find it on Youtube.
> 
> Daniel's flatmates are, you guessed it, characters from other games. Philip is from Frictional Games' earlier series Penumbra and Wilson is from Don't Starve. The idea of them living together as students amuses me for some reason.
> 
> I'm so tempted to write a follow-up story set in the same universe eventually mmmm yes/no/maybe


End file.
